Fireplace damper



H. N. CAIN.

'HREPLACE DAMPER.-

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, 1918.

I Patented May 9,1922.

I fizz/522102;" Jib 171K il UNITED STATES PATENT orri csg HARRY N. CAIN, OF CLEVELAN D, OHIO, ASSIGNOR T0 DOIN LEY BROTHERS COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION.

FIREPLACE DAMPER,

Patented May 9, 1922.

Application filed May 4, 1918. Serial No. 232,432.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, HARRY N. CAIN, of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and Stateof Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fireplace Dampers, of which the following isa specification.

This invention'relates to dampers for closing chimney 'fiues above fireplaces, and-for regulating the draft thereof.

The prime object of the present invention is to provide convenient and readily accessible means for adjusting and positively retaining. a fireplace damper at any desired degree of angular opening, and forclosing the damper when thefireplace is not in use. Further objects are to produce a damper and regulating'device therefor adapted to close by the action of gravity; which may be easily removed from the fireplace for the purpose of cleaning the chimney flue, or for repairs; which will operate freely without clogging; and which is simple and inexpensive to construct and install.

Minor objects will become apparent from the following description of a preferred form of my invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a damper and part of a fireplace and chimney.

Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly broken away, of the damper and frame.

Fig. 3 is plan view,

Fig. 4 is a side elevation, and

Fig. 5 is an end view of the adjustable damper regulator.

Fig. 6 is a side view like Fig. 4: showing the pawl disengaged from the ratch of the regulator.

The reference letter a indicates the upper part of a fireplace opening, and b the lower end of a smoke flue therefor, substantially as usually constructed in a chimney c of' a house. The damper d is arranged to close, or to open to any desired degree the throat, or contracted communicating passage between the said fireplace and flue.

The damper frame, preferably of cast iron, comprises a body portion 6 shaped like a hollow wedge. its open bottom conforming to the-shape of the top of the fireplace. its sides and ends inclined inwardly as shown. and surrounding horizontally projecting flange f forming its base. The ends of the flange f are built into the brickwork of the chimne'y, the rear part of it rests upon the shelf 9 at the bottom of'the flue, and the front portion of said flange, together with the front inclined side of'e, a like a' lintel supporting The rearward inclined frame body e rises butflange 7, and is provided with a pair of outthe roof thereof. face of the damper slightly above; the

spans the fireplace wardly and upwardly projecting ears h-h, 1

one near each end, forming with the said face hinge sockets adapted to support the lower edge of the flat damper door d. Upright stop lugs 2'z' on the ends of the frame body 6 respectively prevent the damper (Z shifting endwise out of place; Thus a large rectangular flue opening jis formed in the rearward slope of the frame 6, andadapted to be' tightly covered the swinging damper (Z.

A regulator rack bar r, straight and of i rectangular section, is hinged at its lower end, preferably by a cotter pin is, between a pair of cars Z depending from the damper frame 6, and is provided with ratch-teeth 6 upon its upper edge. At the upper end of the bar 1", and diagonally opposed to each other, upright standards are erected and their terminations connected across as at m, Figs. 3, 4 and 5; thus forming a closed guideway about a rectangular aperture forming a loop through which a pawl-bar p may slide. The diagonal disposition of the guideway we both permits the casting to be made without employing a core, and serves to prevent the aperture therein-becoming clogged with soot bustion.

The pawl-bar 70, and of substantially hinged at its upper cotter pin a, between and other products of comrectangular section, is end, preferably by a a pair of ears 0 prowhich is also straight jecting from the under face of the damper (Z; both the bars r and 7) being hinged to swing vertically. The lower end of the bar p is bent downward and beveled to a thin edge, as at q, so as to form a detent fitted to engage the ratch-teeth t when sliding downward.

A guideway u for the bar 7- depends from the detent end of the bar 7), and is formed similarly to the guideway m, and for the same reasons, having diagonally disposed side bars connected at their lower ends; but the connection in thiscase is enlarged to form a ring-shaped handle 8 beneath the guideway a, by which the damper may be operated. Both the guideways m and u are made somewhat longer vertically than the widths of the respective bars p and 1"; so that lifting the handle 8 serves to raise the said bars from their normal parallel positions shown in Fig. 4: sutficiently to disengage the pawl g from the rack teeth 2?, as in Fig. 6. When hung in place, the weight of the regulating device compels contact between the bar p and the upper part of the guideway m, and forces the detent 9 into the teeth 7?. i To operate the damper to regulate the draft of a fire, an ordinary hook-ended poker may be used to engage the handle ring a, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1 an upward push disengaging the pawl g from the ratch-teeth t, and opening the damper (Z if continued; or said damper may be permitted to close to any desired position when the said handle ring is raised and drawn, or allowed to slide forward, the bars 29 and 7" locking together by gravity when the lifting action is discontinued.

Obviously the hinge means of the damper (1 will not become clogged with droppings from the chimney flue; and by removing the cotter pin 70 both the damper (Z and the regulating bars p and 1' may be lifted and removed from the chimney for the purpose of cleaning or making repairs.

I further point out and distinctly claim as my invention- 1. A regulating device of the class described comprising a pair of substantially parallel bars, the upper bar having a detentshaped end with a guideway loop for the lower bar and a handle depending therefrom, and the lower bar being provided with ratch-teeth engageable with said detent to prevent shortening of the device and having a guideway loop for the upper bar mounted upon its inner termination.

2; A regulating device for dampers com prising a pair of substantially parallel bars, rack and pawl means adapted to interlock said bars together, and a guideway on each of said bars looped about an aperture to slidably receive the other bar, said guideways being offset at right angles to the bars and diagonally disposed transversely thereof respectively.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, at Cleveland, Ohio, this 27th day of April,

HARRY N. CAIN.

'Wi tnesses Ln Roy MILLS, L. G. HOPPER. 

